I am aware that my timing and involvement of certain couples is a bit out of sync, and that I'm like a year too early with Sellie and Spaige, but for the sake of this story they all need to happen as and when I decide :)

This one is a bit longer than the previous one! Thanks for all the reviews!

And welcome to new reader: Selliefan!!

I hope you like it!

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing except for the characters you don't know and the ideas that go into the plots!

Love You Til The End – The Pogues

October 2002
Alex: 14
Jay: 15

"Jay, where the hell are you taking me?" Alex demanded. They'd been walking for an hour and her she was out of her comfort zone. She had no idea where she was or where she was going. They were ambling down a deserted back road. It was drizzly and cold, pitch black and Alex was pissed. "Just keep walking. We'll be there soon."

"Jay, you've been saying that for at least the past like five miles!"

"We've only come a mile and a half, Alex." Jay pointed out, picking up his pace so he was walking in front of her in single file. He grabbed her hand and pulled her along a bit quicker than the pace she had been dwindling at.

"Jay, don't rush me!" Alex protested, snatching her hand away and stopping.

"Lex, we're never gonna get there if you keep stopping and crying about it!" Jay exclaimed exasperated.

"Who's crying?" Alex shot back.

"Come on, the cut's just up this way, about half way past that post."

Alex followed his finger and saw a wooden post about fifty feet away. "It better be, Jay." She muttered as she started up again.

She dug her hands deep in the pockets of her flimsy, useless hoodie and wished she'd put on something warmer. If she'd have known they'd be trekking half way across Canada she might have been less ill-prepared for the journey. She scuffed the gravel with her sneaker as she walked and Jay turned to stare coldly at her every once in a while.

Alex just shot back a dagger stare at him and carried on her way. She kicked a stone and it had Jay in the back of the leg, and she heard him mutter something illegible, but he didn't turn around again until they had to turn. He stopped suddenly and Alex went crashing into the back of him.

"Jay, for Christ sake!" Alex yelled impatiently.

"We're turning." He said with a smile. It wasn't facetious or sarcastic, and Alex began to feel uneasy. He actually looked pleased, expectant, proud even.

The turn was so discreet and well hidden she would never have spotted it in a month of Sundays. She didn't say anything, she just followed Jay's lead down a creaking wooden pathway between bushy, overgrown plant life that Alex had no interest in trying to identify in her current state of mind. Jay was battling his way through and holding the branches back so she would have an easier route. Finally they got to the end of the treacherous walkway.

The surroundings took Alex's breath away. Jay had bought her to a secluded spot on the banks of the river. There was no sound at all as they stood together in the leafy opening except for the lapping of the shore and an owl call. The moon sat high in the inky midnight blue sky shone down on the river and the ripples in the water distorted the reflection of the moonlight. Said moonlight also drenched the sheltered alcove in dim, soothing light. Alex stood there in stunned silence. Jay had obviously already been here before for him to know where it was. It was so secluded and hard to find, she was sure they wouldn't be interrupted. She looked up at him but still couldn't find the words. She just smiled sheepishly and wrapped her arms around his middle. She rested her head on his chest and just wanted to enjoy this moment forever. But she couldn't. There was one question that was burning in the back of her mind.

"Jay?" Her deep voice broke the silence quite in quite an undignified fashion but she didn't care. "This is beautiful... but why tonight?"

She'd tried sounding as sincere and grateful as she could. Jay snickered and she wondered why.

"I didn't think you'd remember." He said, still smiling.

"Remember what?" Alex asked softly, retaining eye contact the whole time.

"Today's a year since I moved to Oregon. A year since I kissed you. Properly. And from then on I kinda considered you my girlfriend. Although I didn't actually officially ask you. Sorry." Jay rambled on, adding short snappy sentences on top of short snappy sentences.

Alex processed the information then let out a laugh. "That's great."

"You don't sound too-"

"No, seriously Jay. It's fine. I'm just laughing cuz all this time I've not actually been one hundred percent sure that we're actually going out or if it's, y'know, casual or whatever..." Alex dwindled off as she finished her sentence, really beginning to wish she'd not said anything. She'd rather say nothing at all than too much.

"Sorry, that's my bad I guess." Jay joked. He pulled her in really close and gently pulled her down. He sank to the ground too and they sat on the sandy shoreline together. They couldn't deny the chilly breeze bouncing off the water, but as they sat huddled up close together, it began to melt away.

Spinner's idea of a date wasn't one that involved Paige's human form life-support machine Marco Del Rossi tagging along. Especially since Marco had revealed that he... "bats for the other team". They were at the movies downtown, Paige in the middle, with the two guys either side of her. Spinner leaned forward a fraction of a degree and shot a discreet look at Marco. There eyes met for half a millisecond but Marco pretended not to notice. Spinner grabbed a huge handful of popcorn before turning back to the movie: Clown Academy 3. At least he got his choice when it came to the movie they were watching.

He didn't get much of an opportunity to enjoy it though. Paige and Marco were yammering away to each other. What they were doing couldn't be described as loud whispering, more like quiet shouting. Spinner cleared his throat, hoping that would shut them up. They broke their contact for just a few seconds to look at him in a look of almost disgust, then went back to their conversation.

Jay could feel Alex shaking as he held her and was kissing her. At first he tried to ignore it, but soon it gone in the way. He pulled away and looked at her straight.

"You're shaking like a leaf, Lexi."

"It's... a bit chilly." She said slowly.

"Here." He took off his hoodie and draped it around her shoulders. She snuggled up nice and tight inside and kissed him to say thanks. He was now wearing just a short sleeved black tee, but he didn't once mention it. She noticed him shudder once as a particularly bitter gust of wind blustered through, and his arms were covered in goosebumps, but he didn't complain.

"It's nice just to get away, right?" Jay asked her, breaking the silence.

"Yeah. It's nice to get away from my mom and Chad." Alex offered.

"Lexi, why don't you live with me?" Jay proposed. He couldn't keep eye contact.

Alex was shocked by this. "I, uh... it's-"

"Think about it at least?" Jay asked, looking out toward the creepy dark water.

Alex was silent for a moment. She was reluctant because she didn't trust Chad enough to let her mom stay in the house alone with him, but she'd never tell Jay that. He thought her family were fucked up enough as it is, without adding 'all that' into the mix.

"OK."

Jay's face lit up, but Alex shot him a warning look. "I'll think about it, I mean."

His face fell a few notches, but he nodded anyway and looked reasonably happy.

The movie finished and the lights in the theater came back on and somehow Paige and Marco had miraculously managed to view the last forty five minutes of the film in relative silence. Spinner supposed that the chattering for the majority of the film was what you get for bringing two fashion victim best buds to a movie like one of the Clown Academy's. As everyone was filtering out of the movie, Marco and Paige began chatting about something else. They made their way toward the door but before they could, Marco announced he would use the bathroom before they left. Paige agreed and they headed toward their respective bathrooms, leaving Spinner.

"We'll be two minutes, honeybee." Paige cooed as she kissed the tip of his nose annoyingly and bounded off to the toilets with Marco.

Spin relocated outside and leaned against the wall with one foot up against the tan brick. He was scoping the crowds, searching out a familiar face, when he actually came across one. He was not expecting that.

Jay wasn't expecting to run into Spinner on his way home. He'd decided to take the short cut across the shopping complex after dropping Alex off at hers. He was feeling a little despondent if he was honest. He'd pictured his surprise for Alex going a lot better. That was the problem dating someone who couldn't show emotions like any other human. She was built up like a brick wall: tough, solid and hard to crack. The horrendous word vomit moment where he said she should live with him was a huge mistake. He hadn't meant it, it was just something he said on the spur of the moment. Now he was regretting it.

"Hey, dude whats up?" Spin greeted his new pseudo friend cheerily, glad of a face other than Paige or Marco.

"Hey, Spin." Jay spoke while sighing, and it came out sounding rather tragic.

"Woah, long day at the office?" Spinner joked.

"Problems with the misses." Jay said briefly, not wishing to elaborate at this moment in time.

"Well, I've just been on a date, with Paige and Marco." Spinner said glumly.

"Excuse me?" Jay asked in confusion.

"She bought him to like, spread the love since he decided he's... gay. And they were talking the whole way through Clown Academy 3. Probably the only time I'll get to see this movie, and they chat the whole way through it." He explained sadly.

"Bummer times, dude. Join the back of the line." Jay concluded, before making his excuses and leaving before he could become anymore depressed.

R&R pretty please? :D